Key Terms

• polyrhythm

• Yoruba

African Drumming

• central to most West African traditional music

• came to Americas via slave trade

• influenced many styles including jazz

Yoruba Drumming

• Yoruba people of Togo, Benin, and Nigeria

• many religious and non-religious uses of drumming

Polyrhythms

• overlapped, contrasting rhythms• one drum lays down a basic pulse• other drums play variety of rhythms

– duplication of main rhythm– more complicated and varied rhythms

with extensive syncopation– an entirely different pattern

“Ako”

• from the Egungun festival repertory

• played by virtuoso Yoruba drummers

• some clear polyrhythmic interactions

Iya ilu

• “talking drum” (mother drum)

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Bata drums

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Polyrhythms in “Ako”

• omele ako plays constant pulse• eki plays recurring syncopated

pattern• iya ilu (mother drum) departs freely

from main pulse throughout– at one point plays 3 + 3– feeling of triple meter against 4 + 4

Omele ako

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omele abo

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Let’s watch!

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVDK8iqp38o&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmn-cD5TAnc&feature=related

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcutiSjsUpc&feature=related